In conventional wireless communication systems, base transceiver stations (BTS or base station) facilitate wireless communication between mobile units (e.g. access terminals) and an access network. A typical base station includes multiple transceiver units and antennas for sending radio signals to the mobile units (i.e., downlink transmissions) and for receiving radio signals from the mobile units (i.e., uplink transmissions). Base stations are typically located so as to strategically maximize communications coverage over large geographical areas. Typically, the base stations are communicatively coupled to the telephone network via backhaul connections.
As requirements for the reliability and the throughput of wireless communication systems continue to increase, solutions and methods for providing high data rate cellular access with high quality-of-service are desired. In some environments, a distributed antenna system (DAS) may be employed, where instead of covering an area by only one base station, the same coverage is provided by multiple remote antenna units (RAU) controlled by a common base station. In other words, a distributed antenna system (DAS) is a network where spatially separated antenna nodes or remote antenna units (RAUs) are connected to a common source via a transport medium. A wireless communication system employing a distributed antenna system (DAS) may thus provide improved wireless service within a geographical area or structure. Some advantages of a distributed antenna system (DAS) architecture configuration include, for example, improved reliability, reduced total power, possibility of increased capacity and more frequently occurring line-of-sight (LOS) condition between the remote antenna units (RAU) and the terminal device.
Although a distributed antenna system (DAS) architecture can provide a number of benefits to a wireless communication system, the full potential for such distributed antenna systems (DAS) can be expanded by additional features.